You know the feeling: You've got this great idea, you're all excited about building it, and then it begins to unravel. Maybe you realize you lack the parts, or the skill, to do your idea justice. Maybe your muse suddenly decides to ditch you. Maybe your ADD kicks in and you abandon it to start pursuing the fabulous new idea of the moment. However it happens, you are left with an unfinished project.

This little micro gunship was produced while trying to build something completely different (in green, if you can believe that).

I liked it, but thought it was maybe a little too close in shape to the Star Wars Republic gunship.

It needed something on the side, and that Exo-Force sticker worked well. Then I needed a Japanese name to match the Japanese character on the side. I couldn't find one I liked. I just ended up calling it the Valkyrie. I'm sure no one's ever used that before.

So I had this thing, not the green fighter I set out to make. But I could still make some more micro ships for a micro fleet, and a little micro base for them to attack, right? That was the plan all along, right? No. For whatever reason, I'd lost interest.

So I wondered what to do with it. Post it by itself alongside some rambling tangent, like I do with so many of my spaceships? Meh. I wasn't feeling it this time, it would have ended up being a lame self-parody.

One day a couple months back, I decided to build a stagecoach. I have no idea why, it was just this sudden urge out of nowhere.

I started out with an interior that could comfortably fit four passengers, and then quickly found out why I'd never seen a really good Lego stagecoach -- Lego doesn't make a wagon wheel big enough. I had to scale it down. And scale it down again. And again.

Stagecoaches had huge wheels. My stagecoach, here shrunken to the point that it only fits two passengers, and the driver and guy riding shotgun can't sit side by side like they're supposed to, and sacrificing amenities like a door, is still too big for its wheels. Very annoying. Lego Group, while you're resurrecting and rehashing old product lines, bring back the Wild West and give us some properly large wagon wheels!

So anyway, I've been staring at this thing for a few months now, wondering whether it's worth it to build the diorama around it that I'd intended -- a little canyon, with some bandits in ambush -- and I've decided no. Screw it.

Inspired by the Phipsonator's mech dueling arena seen here, which I had a few design issues with, I thought I'd put my money where my mouth is and build one myself. I made one crappy mech and said to myself, "Screw this."
Then Shannon Ocean goes and posts this, and because of our fierce inter-Shannonal rivalry, it kind of pushed me to try again.

I've always liked quadroped mechs. This is Disruptor. It shoots intense, tightly focused soundwaves, a kind of sound laser. There's probably a nice technical term for a weapon like that, which I am too lazy to research.

This is Instigator. I was only able to build him after intense study of Peter Reid's bots on his flickr page. And I never did get around to building him any weapons -- I had one try at a rifle but it was just awful, and I never got into it again.

The Shannons for scale. I figured that since SigOcean Figgy will be here for a good long while (as I oh-so-slowly build the sets for the epic tale he will be starring in), he and I could battle it out in the dueling arena, remote controlling our fighters.

It's a fun idea. I was all excited about it until I realized how much work it would be, on top of all the building for the aforementioned epic that still needs to be done.

The duel would have ended like this -- Disruptor (controlled by me), destroys Instigator (controlled by Ocean), and cocks a leg over him in an unmistakeable pose of gracious sportsmanship.

To D.E.S.K. below - I voted for Bob Barr, Libertarian. I always vote Libertarian if one is on the ballot.

I like it

Heather LEGO Girl

November 9, 2008

Shame on you for abandoning your babies. And especially the one you have so hurtfully described as being "the wrong color". Shaaaame. Okay, I may have spoken out of jealousy there. ;)

I like it

Legion of Doom

November 9, 2008

I know just what you mean about not finishing a project. Why just last week I was in the middle of something. Then my mind wondered off and by the time I remembered... Well, lets just say that there wasn't much left to bury but the trunk smelled just awful! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA -Joker.

Well I'd give you a good rating just for the last pic of a mech "marking his territory," but all of these were nicely done. You know I'm a sucker for a good landscape, and I'd love to see that canyon come to fruition.

These do look great & I too agree that if LEGO decides to bring back a Wild West set that it comes with bigger wheels! Yeah I know what you mean about losing interest when your hot on building a MOC! oh btw check out my Zonda please & you won't be disappointed because it doesn't look like a generic 4-wide!

Actually, Saber Scorp used the name Valkyrie for one of his Nova Refuge fighters. But I don't think anyone's used it for Micro ships, so you're in the clear there. I agree, Lego should bring back the Wild West line. Still, the new Pirate line looks good - Callum

hmmm I thought instigator was really good. It was better than all of other Shannons gladiator mechs. As for your stagecoach I spare you the agony of having to listen to my ongoing rants about how bad it was :D

My "Crimson" came about the same way as your red microscale ship (although I like yours better) I was working on a rocket launcher, and you can still see evedince of it. (the L shape chassis) But this and all of your other creations are terrific. Keep on building!

You should try giving Instigator claws. I think they would add to his impish appearance. And maybe you could call Disruptor's gun a "sonic compression cannon"? Not that such a thing exists; I'm just trying to make up a technical-sounding name for it. Anyways, you have some nifty stuff here, but I could see why you wouldn't want to post them on their own.